Method of making crease- and wrinkle-resistant fabrics



United States Patent 3,388,445 METHOD OF MAKING CREASE- AND WRINKLE-RESISTANT FABRICS Corrado Mazzolini and Francesco Denti, Mestre, Venezia, Italy, assignors to A.C.S.A. Appliazioni fhimiche S.p.A., Milan, Italy, a corporation of ta y No Drawing. Filed June 12, 1964, Ser. No. 374,803 Claims priority, application Italy, June 20, 1963, 12,746/63 4 Claims. (Cl. 28-76) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method of making creaseand wrinkle-resistant fabrics in which fibers are spun from polyvinyl chloride of a high syndiotactic index as produced by polymerization at temperatures from to 60 C. and are then twisted into yarns and woven into fabric alone or with a minor proportion of yarn of some other fiber (e. g., wool), the woven fabric being then stretched and subjected to temperatures of 110 C. to 140 C. for 10 seconds to 30 minutes (preferably 130 C. to 135 C. for 1 to' 10 minutes).

The present invention relates to a process for obtaining creaseand wrinkle-resistant fabrics from textiles based on polyvinyl fibers.

In a preferred form, the present invention relates to a process for obtaining creaseand wrinkle-resistant fabrics from textiles completely or partially made from polyvinyl chloride fibers having a high index of syndiotacticity (IS), achieved by polymerization at a temperature comprised between about -10 C. and about 60 C. in the presence of suitable catalyst acting at such low temperatures. The product so obtained may be spun according to the process claimed in commonly assigned applications Ser. No. 269,257 and No. 310,992.

The invention consists in a process for obtaining a creaseand wrinkle-resistant fabric comprising fibers of a vinyl polymer or predominantly vinylic copolymer in which the fabric is held under tension and maintained at an elevated temperature.

Preferably the fabric comprises polyvinyl chloride or a copolymer which predominantly contains vinyl chloride monomer units, and in a specially preferred form as indicated above, the fabric comprises polyvinyl chloride of a high syndiotactic index obtained by catalysed low temperature polymerization between 10 C. and 60 C.

The fabric may comprise polyvinyl chloride fibers and other synthetic or natural fibers, such as woolen fibers.

The process may be carried out either under dry or humid conditions.

The treatment may be a continuous one (such as for instance in devices of the tenter-frame type) or an intermittent one.

The temperature used for fabrics made of polyvinyl chloride fibers of a high syndiotactic index may be from about 110 C. to about 140 C. and preferably from 130 C. to 135 C. As the hi her the temperature the greater the anticrease and antiwrinkle effect on the fabric.

The processing time may be from about 10 seconds to about 30 minutes and are preferably from 1 to 10 minutes.

The heat may be transmitted to the fabric by various different means, such as for instance, hot air, steam, nitrogen, or by radiation under infrared rays or the like.

3,388,445 Patented June 18, 1968 The fabrics to be processed according to this invention may be either unbleached or dyed with conventional means.

In order to more clearly illustrate the inventive idea of this invention an example is given herebelow without thereby limiting the scope of the invention itself:

Polyvinyl chloride obtained by polymerization at 40 C., with a high syndiotactic index and an intrinsic viscosity (11)=1.4 dl. grr' is spun into fibers of 3.5 den./ filament. of these fibers, with a cut of 40 mm. and dyed with disperse dyes are woven into a fabric with 45% ofwoollen yarn dyed in tops with an English number Ne of 64s.

The yarn used for the warp has:

A metric number Nm.=2/ 42, A twist T =500 turns/ meter, and A twist T =520 turns/ meter.

The yarn used for the weft has:

A metric number Nm.=1/ 20 and A twist T =380 turns meter,

Weave: cloth type Number of filaments: 2810 (without selvedge) Reed: 57,5/ 3

Width of loom: 163 cm.

Number of picks: 1730.

The fabric is subjected to the following dressing treatment:

( 1 Darning (2) Scouring (3) Washing (4) Centrifugation (5 Drying at 90 C. in a tentering machine (6) Humidifying Subsequently a part of the fabric is sheared, steamed to a free shrinkage and subjected to steam decatising. The other part of the sample fabric is heat set at 135 C. for 2 minutes under tension and is then sheared, steamed and decatised. The measuring of the creaseand wrinkleresistance is carried out following the T.B.L. standard method, that is, 1 cm. x 4 cm. samples are conditioned for 24 hours at room temperature and 94% relative humidity, folded, subjected to a pressure load of 500 gr. and subsequently unloaded the wrinkle-recovery angle being measured after 3 minutes.

.The wrinkle recovery angle for the sample heat-set according to the invention turned out to be 130 in the warp direction as well as in the weft direction while that the fabric not heat-treated according to the invention had a recovery in warp and in weft of only We claim:

1. A method of making fabric creaseand wrinkleresistant, the fabric being composed of spun fibers of polyvinyl chloride, with a high syndiotactic index and obtained by polymerization at a temperature between 10 C. and 60 C., twisted into a yarn consisting predominantly of polyvinyl chloride of high syndiotactic index, and with weft and warp interwoven of said yarn to form said fabric, said method comprising the step of subjecting the woven fabric under tension to a heat treatment at a temperature of C. to 140 C. for a period of 10 seconds to 30 minutes.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the fabric produced is maintained under tension in a tenter frame for a period of 1 to 10 minutes at a temperature between C. and C.

. 4 3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said fabric References Cited contains a minor proportion of a yarn of a material other than of polyvinyl chloride. UNITED STATES PATENTS 4. The method defined in claim 3 wherein said fabric 2 313 173 3 1943 Schneider et 1 3g 144 consists of at least 55% by weight polyvinyl chloride yarn 5 2 5 1,3 1 4 52 Pannali 2 34 with high syndiotactic index and up to 45% by weight of 2 9 4 593 5/19 1 Isaksen et 1 2 4 23 X wool yarn, the intrinsic viscosity of the fibers of the polyvinyl chloride being about w= grfl, the P y y JAMES A. SEIDLECK, Primary Examiner. chloride being formed by polymerization at -40 C., said fabric prior to treatment being subjected to washing, 0 ALEXANDER BRODMERKEL Exammer' centrifugal extraction and drying. T. MORRIS, Assistant Examiner.

PO-10b0 (5/59) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECT Patent No. 3 388 ,445 Dated June 18 1968 Inventor(s) Corrado Mazzolini et a1 It is certified that error appears in the aboveidentified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the heading to the specification, line S, cancel "A.C.S.A. Appliazioni Chimiche" and insert instead Chatillon Societa Anonima Italiana per le Fibre Tessili Artificiali SIGNED AND SEALED JUL291$9 is Attest:

Edward M. Fletcher, It. WILLIAM E. W, JR, Am fi Offi Commissioner of Patents 

